Newsletter 4 - 13th February 2026

Key Dates

Monday 16th - Friday 20th February 
HALF-TERM BREAK

Monday 23rd February 
Children return to school

Thursday 26th February
Rowan class parent assembly at 9:00 am

Eco Refill Shop at 3:00 pm

Friday 27th February
Online Safety Workshop for parents & carers at 9:00 am 

PSA Nursery Cake Sale

Saturday 28th February
Eco School Community Litterpick

Monday 2nd March
Careers Week

Reception visit to the Fire Station

Tuesday 3rd March
Year 5 & 6 Careers Fair

Thursday 5th March
World Book Day

Reception visit to Brooklands Museum

Friday 6th March
PSA Bounce for Books

Monday 9th March
Science Week

Thursday 12th March
Foxglove class parent assembly at 9:00 am

Friday 13th March
PSA Mums' Breakfast 

PSA Year 1 Cake Sale

 

Click here for term dates for the current and 2026/2027 school years, including INSET days.

Key dates for families for the spring and summer terms are published here. Some of these dates are provisional, and all dates are subject to change — please refer to this newsletter and communications via ParentPay for the latest information.

Reminders

Winter coats
We would be grateful for donations of winter coats that your children may have outgrown. Spare coats are kept in the school office and loaned to pupils during the school day in instances when their own coats are wet, or mislaid. Thank you. 

School Lunches
Lunches are available to order for next half-term. Please don't forget to place your child's order through ParentPay by 8:00 am on Monday 23rd February. We strongly recommend that you order for the full half-term - changes to your order can be made at anytime before 8:00 am on the day. 

Year Group Weekly News
Year group weekly news is published every Friday afternoon on the Home Learning Google Classroom. 

Home Learning 

Did you know that you can set up notifications on your child's Google Classroom to alert you when your teachers publish a post? You can enable this for any device, including your mobile phone. Please see the step-by-step instructions here.

Home Learning Grids for children in Years 1-6 will be published for the start of next half-term and work should be completed in time for the Home Learning Showcase in school on Monday 23rd March.

 

Stay Safe OnlineOnline Safety Workshop

On Friday 27th February, we will be running an Online Safety Workshop for parents and carers, hosted by Eduthing who provide IT and digital support to both Fern Hill and The Kingston Academy. It will be held in the Large Hall from 9:00 to 9:30 am.

This will be a practical and reassuring session designed to help families better understand the digital spaces children use every day. It will address the fast changing online world where children can interact with new apps, games, and platforms that appear so quickly, and explore the key online safety risks families should be aware of.

The workshop will offer guidance on setting up parental controls, and explain how artificial intelligence is increasingly built into the apps, games, and platforms children are using. It will also focus on the importance of open communication, sharing simple strategies for starting positive conversations at home and supporting children to make safe, informed choices online.

If you plan to attend, please let us know by completing this short registration form.

Outcome of Parent Trust Associate Ballot

Last term, we invited your nominations for the role of Parent Trust Associate to join Fern Hill's local governing body. An election followed which was held via an online ballot. Many thanks to all of the parents who took part in this. The newly elected Parent Trust Associate joining the Local Academy Committee is Louis Lo and we look forward to working with him.

Careers FairCareers Fair

As part of National Careers Week in March, we are planning a Careers Fair for our Year 5 and 6 children. We hope to feature inspirational, diverse volunteers from both within and outside of our school community, who can talk to the children about their jobs and demonstrate just how what they are learning at school today can lead to an exciting future tomorrow. We would love to showcase a varied range of careers. If you can offer your time on Tuesday 3rd March from 1:30 - 3:15 pm, please let us know by completing this linked form. For further information, please see the letter sent from Mrs Davies.

World Book Day 2026World Book Day

We will be celebrating World Book Day (the best day of the year!) on Thursday 5th March and children (and staff) are invited to dress up as their favourite book character on this day. 

We will also be sending home World Book Day tokens which you can use to get a brilliant read for free!

World Book Day 2026 PebblesPebble Characters Competition

This year, our World Book Day competition will be for the best pebble character. We hope to display the pebbles in the Secret Garden so, if possible, please use waterproof materials so the children’s lovely designs survive! Please make sure your pebbles are clearly named and bring them to the KS2 Library on the morning of 5th March. We can't wait to see your creations!

Parents' Evening

Parents’ Evening will be held on Wednesday 25th March from 4:00 - 7:00 pm and Thursday 26th March from 2:00 - 6:00 pm. As with Parents' Evening in October, school will close early on Thursday 26th March at 1:30 pm for children in Reception through to Year 6. Tree Tops will run from this time until its usual finish. Please note that there are no after school clubs running the week of 23rd March. School will also close early at 1:30 pm on Friday 27th March (the last day of the spring term), for all children including Nursery. Parents' Evening appointments will be available to book from early March - further information will be sent home after the half-term break. 

Parent CouncilParent Communications Survey

Throughout the school year, the Parent Council asks for your feedback on various aspects of school life. One of the ways we do this is through surveys to gather your thoughts on a specific topic that is chosen by parents along with the School Senior Leadership Team. The chosen Parent Voice topic for Spring Term 2026 is Parent Communications. We would be very grateful for your responses to this linked survey. Your feedback will help us streamline our approach and focus our energy on the communication lines that truly matter to our community. Thank you.

Fern Hill Nursery

If your child was born between 1st September 2022 and 31st August 2023, they can start Fern Hill Nursery in September 2026. Our nursery has one intake per year in September only and your child must be three years old by 31st August 2026 to be considered.

Applications for a place in Fern Hill Nursery are made directly to us using this linked application form. The closing date for applications is 27th February 2026 and places will be offered by the end of April at the latest. 

YASSYoung Artists' Summer Show

Now in its eight year, theYoung Artists’ Summer Show is a free, open submission exhibition for students aged 4–18 studying in the UK.

Submitting artwork is completely free and done online. Just follow this link and select Fern Hill Primary as your school. For children 12 or under, entry must be completed by a parent or guardian. Registration and submission is open until 5:00 pm on 4th March 2026.

Each student can submit one artwork and there is no theme. When you enter, you’ll be asked for an image of your child’s artwork plus some information about the piece such as title, size, and a little text about it. It will be seen by a panel of judges and arts professionals and the selected pieces will be displayed online and on-site at the Royal Academy of Arts when the exhibition opens in July.

Please let us know if you submit artwork on behalf of your child, so we can have our own exhibition at school too!  

Book of the Week

Forests Secret‘The Forest’s Secret’ by Nigel Grimes

Amelia is feeling anxious and tired until Grandma shares a secret with her and takes her into the Feelgood Forest. Amelia and Grandma use their senses to experience the peace and tranquility of the forest, they practice a calming breathing technique and Amelia’s worries float away like a leaf. Grandma even shares how the trees help to heal each other. ‘The Forest’s Secret’ is a charming story about forest bathing with a vital message about the power of nature. 

 

Nigel visited our KS1 students on Tuesday to read his book and talk about the beneficial effect of nature on our mental health, a timely reminder during Children’s Mental Health Week (9th - 15th February). Nigel’s book can be purchased from his website.

 

Team Points Update

The overall House winner this week is COOMBE

KINGSTON

490

COOMBE

491

RICHMOND

476

HAMPTON

446

Attendance Update

Weekly Attendance

Well done to Year 3 who had the highest year group attendance again this week with 97.9%. 

Congratulations to Oak class with 100% attendance!

 

 

 Year Attendance % Star Year  ★
Reception 94.0%  
Year 1 96.0%  
Year 2 96.4%  
Year 3 97.9% ★
Year 4 96.2%  
Year 5 96.0%  
Year 6 96.5%  
     

 

PSA News & Events

Click here for Fern Hill PSA's latest newsletter.

Click here for Fern Hill PSA's Events Calender for the remainder of this school year. 

2026 Calendar

 

Screenshot 2025 02 05 124108